Location | |
Flag | |
Quick Facts | |
Capital | Washington, D.C. |
Government | Federal Republic |
Currency | U.S. dollar (USD) |
Area | 3,755,241 miles2 (9,631,418 km2) |
Population | 308,745,538 (April 2010 est.) |
Language | English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) |
Religion | Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.) |
Electricity | 120V / 60Hz |
Calling Code | +1 |
Internet TLD | .us, .edu, .gov, .mil (most sites use .com, .net, .org) |
Time Zone | UTC -4 to UTC -10 |
The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as the "USA," the "U.S.," the "United States," "America," or simply "the States". It has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km (about half the size of Russia and about the same size as China). It also boasts the world's third largest population, with over 310 million people. It includes both densely-populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast, uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas. With its history of mass immigration dating from the 17th century, it is a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world.
The country plays a dominant role in the world's cultural landscape, and is famous for its wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago, to the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii and Southern California.